SPRING 2009 PEAK PERFORMERS: Girls' lacrosse

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

When 2007 Gazette Girls' Lacrosse Player of the Year Alex Befus tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee in April 2008, she thought her lacrosse career was over. One year and hours of rehabilitation later, Befus scored a school-record 95 goals this past season to lead the Kadets to the state title. The Gazette's Girls' Lacrosse Player of the Year, who will attend Denver and play lacrosse, has never been more on track.


Tell me a little bit about your rehab - what were you most worried about?

When it first happened, I thought my life was over. It was really upsetting, obviously. I was just coming up to the point in school where I really wanted to be doing well, especially for college recruiting and all. I had my surgery last year on April 3, and I called all the coaches who had talked to me and told them I had torn my ACL. They were all fine with it, and that's when I realized that I would be fine.

What was your recovery process like?

I started back almost right away. I got on a (stationary) bike about three days after my surgery just to start working on getting my motion back and making sure I could still flex it. I had a good eight or nine months where I had rehab three times a week and then I was going every day to work on my own. I had to relearn how to run, but in a lot of ways, I think it was beneficial. I had never taken a break from lacrosse before, and I have good movements now and I am in better shape than I ever was before.

Were you worried about fitting back onto the team after being out for a season?

Yes, definitely. They had done so well last year, and I got to see it from the sideline. The first game I came back and I was a little iffy but once I knew my knee could handle it, I just wanted to play again. A lot of things had changed because I had been a big presence in the midfield, and obviously, other people had stepped up. But as it turned out, it was good because some people didn't like taking a ton of draws or wanted to go back to being on attack or something. So it very quickly felt like all the pieces just went into place.

How big was it for Air Academy to beat Denver-area teams it hadn't beaten before?

It was awesome. I think a lot of times we don't get recognized for anything because we are a Colorado Springs school and because nobody down here has been able to beat them. We lost to Kent (Denver) 12-9 in a preseason scrimmage, and I think they just thought they were going to be able to keep that up. We felt like we were doing really well when we were winning a lot early in the season, but I think beating Kent showed us how good we really are. And it was kind of nice to rub it in their face a little (laughs).

Did playing those games at DU make them more significant?

It was great to play up there. So many people from our school showed up, and that was so exciting. It was also the first time that the coaches at DU had seen me play since my injury, so I really wanted to play well. I was pretty quiet on the bus ride up. I knew I couldn't screw up.

What sort of a personality do you bring to the team?

I feel like I'm a pretty dominant personality type. I like to control what's going on, but I think I calm people down a lot because they know I've played for a long time and I'm pretty vocal about making sure we're all doing what we need to. I talk a lot on the field, and sometimes our coach (Sean Harmon) will even remind me that there's only one coach (laughs). But I am kind of like that everywhere. If I'm baking cookies with my boyfriend or even in the classroom.

What are you looking forward to the most about playing in college?

The individualized attention. I feel like I hit a little bit of a plateau in high school just because you're all working with the team and trying to reach a team goal. But in college, I already have individual meetings set up with the offensive and defensive coordinators and they design a fitness and nutrition program for us. It's just going to be more intensive coaching and hopefully moving my game to the next level.




COACH OF THE YEAR

When Air Academy coach Sean Harmon began the 2009 season, he knew that something had to change.

"I have been doing pretty much the same thing as a coach for 10 years now," he said. "I knew if we wanted this year to be different, we were going to have to work harder than we ever had before."

Harmon led the Kadets to the state title after knocking off perennial powers Kent Denver and Cherry Creek.

"I was concerned at the beginning of the season because we got killed by Cherry Creek and lost to Kent in preseason scrimmages," Harmon said. "But for us, it was a matter of fitting everything back together."

The Kadets found their stride under Harmon, finishing 19-0.

"We had nine seniors on this team, and as soon as we got everybody in the right spot, we just started clicking on all cylinders," he said.

"When Alex (Befus) was out last year, I had to ask some of the girls who hadn't scored as much or had played different positions to produce. But when we got everyone back, we just had to get everybody's role established."

The players under The Gazette's repeat Girls' Lacrosse Coach of the Year are known for their conditioning.

But even Harmon admits that his demands were high this spring.

"We started running the incline together and we worked harder than we ever had," he said. "I asked them for unreasonable things, but they knew that it needed to be done if they wanted to be great. And they stuck with it."




FIRST TEAM

Goal: Ashley Keller,

Sr., Air Academy

Recorded 131 saves during the Kadets' 19-0 season.

Defense: Alohalani Kaleo, Sr., Pine Creek

The Southern Conference first-team defender also sparked the Eagles with 21 goals and 11 assists.

Defense: Jordan Kline,

Jr., Air Academy

Southern Conference first-team honoree's nose for the ball and ability to read plays helped her slow down the state's best.

Defense: Lisa Fernholz,

Sr., Air Academy

Set the tone for the Kadets' defense with hard checks and relentless coverage.

Midfield: Alex Befus,

Sr., Air Academy

2007 and now 2009 Gazette Player of the Year led the Kadets with
95 goals and 46 assists.

Midfield: Eliot Jackson,

Sr., Fountain Valley

Controlled 24 draws, and led team with 47 goals and 21 assists.

Midfield: Jane Olsen,

Sr., Air Academy

Controlled possession and led
the Kadets in transition while
adding 37 goals and nine assists.

Midfield: Vivian Snider,

Jr., Cheyenne Mountain

Led the Indians with 51 goals
and 17 assists.

Midfield: Kendra Burch,

Jr., Cheyenne Mountain

League first-teamer picked up
20 ground balls and controlled
23 draws.

Attack: Hayley Bernstein, Sr., Air Academy

2008 Gazette Player of the Year used her speed and a quick shot
for 59 goals and 51 assists.

Attack: Caroline Barry,

Sr, Air Academy

Versatile player scored 40 goals with 15 assists.

Attack: Kelly Stevens,

Sr., Pine Creek

Led Eagles with 56 goals
and 21 assists.

HONORABLE MENTION

Maxine Luckett, junior, Fountain Valley; Hannah Kinderwater, junior, Air Academy; Allie McLaughlin, senior, Air Academy; Michelle Rosas, senior, Pine Creek; Katie Huss, senior, Pine Creek; Whitney Lindt, senior, Pine Creek; Sasha Hill, freshman, Cheyenne Mountain; Kali Maxwell, sophomore, Cheyenne Mountain; Ceci Rodriguez, junior, Cheyenne Mountain; Tate Crosby, freshman, Cheyenne Mountain; Elizabeth Farnham, senior, Rampart; Murielle Landry, senior, Rampart; Miranda Beal, freshman, Air Academy; Katie Reid, junior, Air Academy; Stephanie Saegert, senior, Air Academy; Erin Todd, freshman, Air Academy; Shannon Bryant, freshman, Lewis-Palmer; Caitlin Dyche, junior, Lewis-Palmer; Kimberly Brown, senior, Lewis-Palmer; Kendra Weiler, junior, Lewis-Palmer; Katelyn McIntosh, junior, Lewis-Palmer; Nina Kim, sophomore, Liberty; Veronica Bishop, junior, Liberty; Emma Jacobsen, junior, Liberty; Sarah Emery, junior, Fountain Valley; Lizzi Cummings, junior, Palmer.